Florian Wirtz's Struggles at Liverpool: Robert Huth's Brutal Verdict

Robert Huth has seen enough Premier League football to trust his instincts. On Florian Wirtz at Liverpool, his verdict is brutally clear.

"I really find it hard to see how this can still turn around," said the former Leicester City title-winner on All Out Football's podcast In The Mixer, dissecting the 23-year-old’s early months at Anfield.

Huth, who racked up 322 Premier League appearances and lifted the trophy in 2016, did not question Wirtz’s talent. He questioned whether that talent fits this league.

"Obviously a good player," he conceded, before driving at the heart of his concern. "He has real problems with his physicality."

Coming from a defender who spent a career fighting in the most unforgiving areas of English football, the criticism cut deep. This is a man who played 19 times for Germany, went to the 2006 World Cup, and knows exactly what elite standards look like.

Liverpool have wagered heavily that Wirtz will meet those standards. In 2025 they paid a base fee of 125 million euros to prise him from Bayer Leverkusen, a marquee signing expected to glide straight into the heart of Anfield’s next great side. Instead, his first season flickered rather than burned. Moments of class, yes, but not the sustained dominance that fee demands.

Now comes the reset. Under new coach Andoni Iraola, Liverpool want the second year to be the one that justifies the investment and silences the doubts. This is supposed to be the season of his definitive breakthrough.

Wirtz, for his part, insists that process is already underway.

"I would say that I have developed in almost every area. Definitely when it comes to my physical level," he told RTL and Sky recently, pushing back at Huth and other sceptics. The adaptation, he argued, is real and relentless.

"Even in training, I have to push myself almost to my limits every day, simply because there are players here who are also fully committed in training every day and have that kind of quality. You also have to be at a good level yourself," the Germany international explained.

He paints a picture of a player embracing the grind, not shrinking from it. Huth sees something very different.

The former centre-back turned his gaze to Liverpool’s opening Premier League game of the season, a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United, and did not like what he saw from the playmaker.

"His body language is also a bit poor," Huth said, unimpressed by Wirtz’s demeanour as much as his duels. In his view, the issue is not just about muscle or pace; it is about presence.

The criticism did not stop at a tactical or physical analysis. Huth went as far as to question Wirtz’s medium-term future at the club, suggesting Liverpool’s patience may not last long if the trajectory does not change.

He believes a turning point is coming quickly – and not necessarily in Wirtz’s favour.

"By Christmas they will probably look to move him on if he does not improve, because he has become an expensive problem for Liverpool," Huth warned.

A 125-million-euro playmaker, a new coach, a demanding league, and a clock already ticking towards the winter window. For Wirtz, the margin for error is shrinking fast.